Monday, February 26, 2007

Hidden treasure found in half-bath

When I was growing up, my parents had a TV in the corner of their room. It sat on top of a miniature chest of drawers. I remember sitting two feet away to watch, my back pressed against the side of a dresser and my bony butt growing numb from the hardwood floor. I never gave much thought to the little doll chest.

Two houses later, the chest ended up in the downstairs powder room, with an array of tchotchkes, soaps, and hand towels on top. One of the drawers still holds a stash of Barbie clothes that my sister and I inherited from our grandmother's second husband's daughter, who'd played with them in the late 60s. My parents entertain a lot and I always thought that anyone snooping in those drawers would be pretty surprised to find a collection of 6-inch-long minidresses and fur coats.

So this weekend we went to see my parents and Jo discovered the Barbies for the first time. The dolls themselves live in the toy bin near the kitchen, but someone remembered the clothes in the bathroom and brought them out for Jo to play with. It seemed easiest to bring the whole drawer over and dump its contents onto the table.

That's when we found the writing on the underside of the drawer.

Do not destroy

This doll clothes cabinet built prior to 1895 for Kelly family children who lived on a farm near Eau Galle, Wisconsin.

I was amazed. I'd lived with this piece of furniture for 18 years, but I never knew this was there. There is a notation from this same grandfather on my dining room table, but it basically scolds anyone who comes across it that the table must remain in the possession of my mother or one of her children. This note on the doll chest was a real effort to pass along a piece of family history. I love that he decided the best way to do so was to write directly onto the wood (and of course, he was right).

15 comments:

What an awesome treasure! I wish more family heirlooms came with the stories attached. We just received a quilt that was handmade by SwingDaddy's great-great, and I need to write down the story before we forget and it becomes just another item in storage. The stories are what make things special!

I love that. My husband tends to put his name and the date somewhere whenever he does work around the house. And his grandfather (who I never knew) put his initials and the date and the price he paid on the bottom of every single item in his house. In Sharpie. It's the equivalent of pissing on your trees. It's so sweet, though, that you were able to discover that.